Dean Solomon calls for courage, community in annual State of the School address

When Ian H. Solomon stood before the UVA Batten School community on Monday morning earlier this week, he began not with statistics or strategy, but with silence. “Let’s take a deep breath together,” he urged. In a time of national and global uncertainty, Solomon framed his annual State of the School address as both a reflection on Batten’s growth and a message on courage, leadership, and the power of community.

Solomon, who has led the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at UVA since 2019, reminded the packed audience of students, faculty, and staff of Batten’s mission: to “develop leaders and create knowledge to solve the greatest policy challenges in a diverse and divided world.”

That mission, he said, is what sustains his gratitude for the community. “Who better than the people here to be the new leaders for these times of uncertainty and change,” he said. “We have the skills, the values, the purpose to learn and lead with curiosity, resilience, and optimism. We will continue to champion public service, generosity, and helping others as values that ought to prevail over greed and corruption.”

Growth and new faces

The dean noted that Batten welcomed its largest-ever classes this fall, including 132 BA students, 61 minors, and 107 MPP students. The school also welcomed eight in-person and ten online certificate students, marking the expansion of Batten’s digital offerings.

Faculty growth was another highlight. Six new professors joined this semester, covering subjects from environmental regulation to political institutions. “We are thrilled with the newest additions to our community,” Solomon said, pointing also to new staff, including a communications director and chief of staff. He celebrated faculty achievements ranging from published research on racial gaps in higher education to new leadership roles in national policy organizations.

Looking ahead

Batten’s physical footprint is set to grow as well. Next year, the school will expand into a new building on Ivy Road shared with the UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy. “The building will be an important second home,” Solomon explained, “with added workspace enabling new partnerships and convening possibilities.”

The Batten School is also investing in global and online opportunities. Nearly 100 Batten students studied abroad last year, and the dean announced plans to add programs in Central America and Africa. Meanwhile, online certificates and courses aim to make Batten education more accessible to working professionals and alumni.

A personal story

Beyond the updates, the heart of Solomon’s remarks came in the form of a story from his childhood. He recalled a girl on his school bus, Denise, who was bullied daily. “I did nothing to protect her,” he admitted. “I wanted to keep my head down and avoid becoming a target myself.”

The regret of remaining silent, Solomon said, has shaped his life’s work. With a father active in the Black Power movement and a Jewish grandmother who fled persecution in Ukraine, Solomon grew up inspired by a legacy of protest and resilience. Throughout his life, from marching against apartheid in South Africa to serving as legislative counsel to then-Senator Barack Obama and as U.S. executive director at the World Bank, he has sought to honor his family’s legacy by protecting the vulnerable.

“I hope in my life I’ve learned from the shame of failing Denise and now do a better job standing up for the vulnerable,” he said. “Individual courage was too hard and potentially dangerous. Collective courage might have made the difference.”

Leadership in a time of uncertainty

Solomon acknowledged the challenges facing the University of Virginia and the broader world, from political polarization and institutional uncertainty to geopolitical tensions and the rise of artificial intelligence. “The pace and magnitude of changes feel overwhelming,” he said. But he framed these uncertainties as opportunities for Batten students to lead.

“The test of our leadership will be what we make of this time,” Solomon said. “Will we do what I did on the school bus that day for Denise? Or will we find a way to stand for something more important?”

Solomon closed with a message of hope. He invoked the school’s founder, Frank Batten, who built The Weather Channel, an innovative broadcasting model when it launched in the early 1980s, into a multi-million-dollar enterprise despite skepticism. 

“Through it all, we will continue to lead with hope and optimism,” he said.

For Solomon, leadership is not about individual heroism, but shared responsibility. “I have to have your back, and you have to have mine,” he told the audience. “The truth is that, thanks to all of you, UVA Batten is a testament to hope and an antidote to fear, greed, and division.”

As students and faculty embark on a new academic year, Solomon’s words offered both a report and a challenge: to study hard, to serve with integrity, and to summon the collective courage to stand up for every “Denise” in the world.

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